5 Essential SEO Tips and Tricks for Small Local Businesses
As a small local business, enhancing your online presence is crucial for attracting customers and driving growth. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a powerful tool that can help you achieve this by improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. Here are five essential SEO tips and tricks to get you started on your SEO journey. Each tip is supported by statistics to highlight its importance and effectiveness. If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to get in touch with us at Prosper Business Consultants. We’re here to help any small local businesses in any way we can, and we won’t charge for any consultation or guidance. Let’s work together to boost your online presence!
1. Identify Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are specific search queries that often have lower search volumes but clearly defined intents. Targeting these instead of broad “head” terms is an effective way to compete with established brands in organic search results.
For example, instead of targeting the keyword “dog toys,” which has high competition, you could focus on “dog toys for teething labrador puppies.” This approach helps small, niche websites outrank well-known brands and attract highly specific search traffic. Since 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, targeting specific long-tail keywords can significantly increase your chances of being discovered by potential customers and meeting their specific needs, leading to higher conversions.
2. Optimise Your Google Business Profile
If your business serves customers in a specific area, optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) is essential for local SEO. A well-optimised GBP increases visibility on Google and helps users find and learn about your business. With a complete and optimised GBP, you can appear in the Google 3-Pack, which earns 126% more search traffic and 93% more conversion-oriented actions than businesses ranked 4-10. Considering that 70% of brand marketers list building brand awareness as their top goal for social media, having an optimised GBP is a strategic move to enhance your online presence and attract more local customers.
3. Run an SEO Audit to Fix Technical Issues
Technical SEO errors can negatively affect your search rankings and organic traffic. These issues include slow page speed, broken links, duplicate content, and website security problems. Running an SEO audit can help you identify and fix these issues, ensuring your website is technically sound. Given that 94% of online users said that easy navigation is the most important website feature, addressing technical SEO issues will not only improve your search performance but also enhance user experience, keeping visitors on your site longer and reducing bounce rates. At Prosper Business Consultants, we can complete SEO audits for businesses and suggest how to improve SEO. We can also undertake the necessary improvements.
4. Compress Images to Improve Page Speed
Large image files can slow down your website, leading to a poor user experience and lower search rankings. Compressing images before uploading them to your site can improve page speed and enhance user experience. Since 43% of small businesses plan to improve their website performance and page speed, optimising images is a straightforward yet effective way to make your website faster and more user-friendly. This improvement can significantly affect your search engine rankings and help retain visitors.
5. Use Alt Text to Describe Images
Adding alt text (or alternative text) to your images, GIFs, and infographics increases your chances of ranking well in Google Images. It describes to Google what the image contains. For all its ingenuity, Google can’t interpret visual content. So, it relies on alt text descriptions to understand context and determine how to rank your page. This practice also improves website accessibility for visitors who use screen reading software, enhancing user experience and compliance with accessibility standards.
Conclusion
Improving your SEO is an ongoing process that can significantly boost your online presence and attract more customers to your small local business. By implementing these tips—identifying long-tail keywords, optimising your Google Business Profile, running SEO audits, compressing images, and using alt text—you can enhance your website’s visibility and user experience. If you need any help or advice on how to get started, get in touch with us at Prosper Business Consultants. We’re here to support your journey to online success and are happy to provide free consultation and guidance. Let’s work together to help your business thrive!
